Friday, January 16, 2009

I just got done babysitting for the night. I brought my laptop with me in high hopes that the little boy would be asleep, but I had no such luck. He stayed up the entire time. And he's 1. If I had stayed at home I would have been asleep way earlier! I'm really an early to bed early to rise person... I'm tired. Or I was tired before I took a shower. Who knows how long I'll be up now? xD

I came to the conclusion today that I am like my laptop. I need to be unplugged from at least 4 different things before I can go anywhere, and plugged back in before I can do anything. I haven't been feeling creative in the least. When I'm not at school, working on scholarships, watching movies with my cousin, cleaning the house, cooking, or reading my latest murder mystery, I'm on the computer. I haven't been doing anything that inspires me to be creative. I used to write all the time! Poetry is one of my favorite things. I love reading it and writing it. The former inspires the latter.

I also haven't been a very outdoorsy person lately. When it isn't warm outside there are days when I won't even leave the house except to get into a car or onto the school bus. It makes me sad. I love being outside. Today I was outside putting bread out for the birds. I remembered a time when I would have been sledding, jumping into a snow pile, making a snowman, or just walking around. All in spite of the freezing cold weather. I don't even own a decent pair of snow boots anymore! I haven't tried on my old winter jacket either. I may not even own that, I think my sister has claims on it now. We have a ton of snow that I just won't play in. I want my care-free little girl to come out and inspire me again. There's no little whisper in my ear saying "Go on! Pile on the layers of clothes and just go outside! It'll be fun... you'll love it!" That whisper is gone.

Do I really think if I start reading poetry and playing outside that it will inspire me to be creative again? I don't know. It's worth a shot, though.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

My French teacher is crazy, brilliant, funny, and awesome all in one. He is Mr. Huntley, and probably one of my favorite teachers. We learn so much in his class, and we're always having fun. We read and write stories, act out dialogues, sing songs, watch videos, and so much more. He has a collection of clothes, hats, and other random items in his classroom that we dress up in. All while learning French.

He is truly my favorite teacher, though, not just because of the fun stuff. He has taught us life lessons. One of them being what he calls JPITSOL. He said this is a Buddhist idea that he shortened into an acronym. It means Joyfully Participate In The Sorrows Of Life. He told us "If there is one thing I can teach you, let this be it." Instead of being angry when things go wrong, find the humor in it. Crack a joke. Have fun. His SmartBoard keeps shutting down randomly while he's teaching. Instead of being mad, he's started a score to see which period in breaks down the most in.

I think this is important! It's definitely something I am going to try and remember forever.

On a side note- Mr. A. loved the cookies, and I am now signed up to take Conflict Resolution 2nd period next semester! The tradition started in 9th grade when he first became our guidance counselor. He always used to complain about students wanting to make changes to their class schedules. My friends and I promised him one day that if he made the changes we'd give him a plate of brownies. It just became a fun tradition after that. =)

Monday, January 12, 2009

When I got home from school I had just enough time to do my homework before my cousin came in and stole me over to her house so we could watch her new DVD, Guys and Dolls. I loved it! My cousin and I are both fans of musicals. It is a long movie, so I ended up staying for dinner. I left with new scratches from her puppy, and a delicious chicken recipe. I'll share the recipe with you later. It is so simple, but SO good.

My cousin brought me home and I showered, only to get out and remember that I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies tonight. Luckily, we had a mix in the cupboard! I want to make these cookies because it's been a tradition since 9th grade that every time I want to make a change to my class schedule I give Mr. A., my guidance counselor, some sort of food. I thought I had my schedule for next semester figured out a month ago, but I decided just today that I want to add a class. I want to take Conflict Resolution 2nd period. My current 7th period teacher is teaching that class and he was telling us about it today. It is a new class, but it sounds promising.

This Friday and next Tuesday-Thursday I have midterms/ finals in all of my classes. I am going to have a lot of reviewing to do! Because of this I may not be on as much. It also means that the new semester begins soon. I will have new classes to talk about, and a new homework schedule to adjust to.

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason, and if you get a second chance, grab it with both hands; if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it." -Unknown